The Beast
by Animal Warrior
Summary: A mysterious creature enters ThunderClan's territory, causing lots of damage. Will Redclaw be able to stop this beast, or will it wipe out ThunderClan once and for all!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The white van was driving towards a distant farm. Another van was waiting. There were three men standing around the parked van, waiting for the first. As the first van stopped, the men around the second stopped what they were doing and walked towards the first van. Three more men got out of the first van and went towards the rear with the other three men following. "Alright. This is what you wanted," the driver said, "Hope you're happy, they were a pain in a butt to catch, not to mention getting them here without getting caught!"

"Shh, be quiet. If someone hears us we're dead!" one of the first three men told the driver.

"Okay boss. Just remember to be careful with some of the cages, these animals are feisty." the driver responded.

The boss opened the back of the van, revealing many cages containing rare animal species. The six men began moving the cages from the first van into the second. When they were halfway through, the driver of the first van told the other men, "Remember to use your gloves, we're getting to the aggressive ones."

The six men put on thick, leather gloves and continued moving the cages. The boss grabbed the last cage. As he got halfway to the second van, the creature inside the cage he was carrying lashed out at his hand. "Ah!" With a yell the injured man dropped the cage, which busted open as it hit the ground, allowing the animal to escape.

"Quick, get some bandages from the van!" the driver called out and one of the men who arrived with him dashed to the now empty van and retrieved a first-aid kit. "You okay?" the driver asked the boss.

"Yeah I'm okay, I just got my hand ripped open, but besides that, I'm okay," the wounded boss replied with a lot of sarcasm.

"Be more careful next time. You just lost the most valuable animal I had. The hardest one to catch too," the driver said.

"I got my hand ripped open, what did you expect, for me to have skin of steel? Also, you need new gloves, these are junk," the boss said, waving the gloves around with his uninjured hand.

"They're the best ones I could get my hands on!"

"Didn't get your hands on much."

"I don't see you volunteering to go to a dangerous place, risking your life, for someone who sits on his butt all day!"

"I've tried, but I looks too suspicious or something because every time I come back with a good catch, the dumb cops want to see what's in the stinking van," the boss exclaimed.

"Maybe it's the van. _Every _smuggler uses a white van, maybe you should get more casual vans or something. Even the _brand_ is the same as in the movies," the driver replied.

"Well you seem to do it just fine," the boss retorted.

"Because _I_ go on the back roads, while _you _go through every city with a population of over ten thousand!"

"Oh leave me alone," the boss replied, tired of the argument.

"You're just mad you got hurt. And you won't _have _to worry about me messing with you because I _quite_!"

"Fine by me," the boss said, then he went back to nursing his injured hand.

* * *

I know this sucks, but the upcoming chapters will be much better, so please read and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Redclaw! Redclaw! Redclaw!" the ThunderClan chanted. Redclaw worked hard for this moment, he was finally a warrior! He had spent _moons_ training as an apprentice, he remembered all those days hunting and training for battle.

"So, as tradition, Redclaw must guard the camp in silent vigil while we sleep," with that, Firestar climbed down from the Highledge, dismissing the clan. Redclaw, having already eaten, went to prepare for his vigil.

The other cats went to their dens, leaving Redclaw alone. The night was quite, which was very unusual for green-leaf. At moon-high, Redclaw heard a strange rustling noise at the top of the highest part of the camp walls. _It must be _huge_!_ Redclaw thought. The rustling noise got even louder than before, leaving Redclaw wondering how it didn't wake the other cats. Redclaw was urged to go up there, to see what could be making so much noise, but he knew if Firestar found out, he would be in _big_ trouble. Soon the noise became gradually getting quieter, signaling that the thing has left. Redclaw continued sitting through his vigil, not uttering a single word. The rest of the night was quiet.

Ω

"You're vigil's over, you may rest now." Redclaw was relieved when Brambleclaw talked to him as he left on the dawn patrol. Redclaw began heading towards the apprentices den, but remembered his warrior ceremony and headed instead for the warriors den, slightly excited by the prospect. He found a unused nest, curled up, and went to sleep.

Ω

When Redclaw woke, it was already sun-high. Leaving the warrior den, he looked around the camp, hoping to catch sight of Firestar or Brambleclaw. Not seeing them, Redclaw asked the nearest cat, who happened to be Berrynose, where they were.

"Firestar left to patrol the ShadowClan border and Brambleclaw left on a hunting patrol."

"Thanks," Redclaw responded. With that he left the camp and went immediately to where he had heard the noise the previous night to investigate. There was a badger-sized hole going through the brambles like a tunnel, with a lot of really dark brownish fur clinging to the bramble's thorny stems. He opened his mouth so he could catch the scent, which was very strange. The scent also had a bit of something he _had_ smelled before, but he couldn't remember what it was. He followed the scent trail for a few fox-lengths before he realized where it was going. The scent trail led towards the Shadowclan border. _Firestar's patrol!_ Redclaw raced after the creature, following through the tunnel it made through the undergrowth. As he approached the ShadowClan borderline, he detected new smells in the air: the strange creature's smell, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan blood! The smell of his clanmate's blood lent wings to his paws. He dashed out into a clearing, nearly tripping over his injured clanmates.

Redclaw looked around the clearing, noticing that everyone there was injured. Of all the cats, Firestar was the most injured. He had a long scratch along his right side and was holding his left paw to his chest. "What happened?" Redclaw asked Firestar.

"_Something_ attacked us, I _still_ don't know what it was," Firestar responded.

"What did it look like?" Redclaw asked.

"It had a thick, dark brownish coat and was about the size of a badger. I would say it was a badger, but it's claws were way to sharp for it to be a badger."

"Which way did it go?" Redclaw questioned Firestar.

"No, don't go chasing it. Go get Leafpool and Jayfeather. Quick!" Firestar told him.

Redclaw wasn't one to argue with his leader. Redclaw raced back to camp, following the same route for more speed. As he raced through the undergrowth, thoughts were racing through his head. _What could do that much damage to so many cats?! What was it even doing here? Why haven't we encountered this thing before?_ Redclaw remembered the tales the elders had told him about badgers, about the time a large group of them attacked the ThunderClan camp. He heard of the damage they could do. But this was worse. Not even a badger would be able to do that to a patrol that size. Maybe two or three cats, but not five! Redclaw nearly dashed head-long over the highest part of the camp wall. He redirected his route and ran through the thorny tunnel leading into camp.

"Leafpool! Jayfeather!" Redclaw yowled out.

"What is it?" Leafpool asked calmly.

"Firestar needs you and Jayfeather quickly. He and his patrol have been injured," Redclaw responded.

"Coming. Jayfeather, get the marigold and cobwebs, I'll get the rest," Leafpool told Jayfeather, who was standing next to her. Jayfeather dashed into the medicine cat den with Leafpool right being him. Then they dashed back out with their mouths full of herbs. "Lead us to them," Leafpool told Redclaw. Redclaw immediately dashed out the camp, with the medicine cats right behind him. He took them to the tunnel that he had used twice before. "Redclaw, slow down some. We can barely keep up!" Redclaw had realized how fast he had been going and slowed down until he was right in front of the medicine cats. He lead them through the tunnel and into the clearing. The medicine cats immediately went about helping their clanmates.

"_Now_ will you tell me where it went?" Redclaw asked Firestar.

"No, trust me, you don't want to fight it alone. If this whole patrol didn't hurt it, a single cat won't either," Firestar told Redclaw, who was trembling with rage.

"I don't care, it won't do this to ThunderClan and get away with it. Now where is it?" Redclaw asked again.

"Not right now. At least wait a while so we could help," Firestar stated.

"Okay, I'll wait," Redclaw reluctantly told him.

Leafpool came to Firestar with some of the herbs she had brought with her, but he moved away from her, telling her to treat the others first. "The others _are_ treated, I did them first because I knew you would do this. Stand still and let me put these herbs on you're wound before you loose to much blood." Firestar stopped moving away and sat down, allowing her to put a marigold pulp on his side. Redclaw looked around at his now treated clanmates. _I _will _kill this thing, if it's the last thing I do__._

* * *

_Please tell me what you think._


End file.
